Tag Archives: National Natural Landmark

Photography

GARDEN OF THE GODS – #Colorado

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GARDEN OF THE GODS

The Garden of the Gods’ red rock formations were created during a geological upheaval along a natural fault line millions of years ago. Archaeological evidence shows that prehistoric people visited Garden of the Gods about 1330 BC. At about 250 BC, Native American people camped in the park.  They are believed to have been attracted to wildlife and plant life in the area and used overhangs created by the rocks for shelter. Many native peoples have reported a connection to Garden of the Gods, including Apache, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota, Pawnee, Shoshone, and Ute people.
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In 1879 Charles Elliott Perkins purchased 480 acres of land that included a portion of the present Garden of the Gods. Upon Perkins’ death, his family gave the land to the City of Colorado Springs in 1909, with the provision that it would be a free public park. Palmer had owned the Rock Ledge Ranch and upon his death it was donated to the city.

In 1995 the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center was opened just outside the park. ~wikipedia

Our visit to Garden of the Gods in early September 2020 was a bit hazy.  The smoke from the all of the wild fires were blowing South in the general vicinity of the National Natural Landmark.  Even though the views were somewhat obscured, they were beautiful. CO Fire Map

The park features 21 miles of hiking trails to explore.  However; given the fires in the mountains, this recreation area  was jammed full of people.  We spent some time hiking around keeping our distance from other in the era of Covid.  It was nice to be outdoors in the early hours of a warm Fall day.   The view of the beautiful red rock formations, flora and fauna were a welcome change from being in our home office.

“You wind among rocks of every conceivable and inconceivable shape and size… all bright red, all motionless and silent, with a strange look of having been just stopped and held back in the very climax of some supernatural catastrophe.” ~Helen Hunt Jackson

Destination, Photography, Travel

HANGING LAKE – Glenwood Springs #Colorado

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Hanging Lake

Hanging Lake is located in Glenwood Canyon, about 7 miles east of Glenwood Springs, Colorado.  It is a one of the most popular hiking destinations in Colorado. When open, the lake is reached via a trailhead located along the Glenwood Canyon Bike and Pedestrian Path that runs along the north side of I-70 in the bottom of the canyon. The trail follows Dead Horse Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River and ascends 1,000 feet in elevation for 1.6 miles from the trailhead to the lake.

Early tales of the discovery of the lake tell of a man searching for gold in the canyon. The man found a dead horse at the opening of a gulch. When he followed the gulch up through the steep hillside through the canyon he came around the backside of the lake. This is how he first saw the small bowl-like basin hanging onto the cliffs below.

In the years following, the area served as a homestead and a private family retreat.  After the Taylor Bill passed in 1910 it was purchased by Glenwood Springs.  Following the purchase it began its long history as a public tourist stop. Later during the 1940’s it hosted a resort and cafe until the construction of Interstate-70 began in 1968.  In 1972, the trail and the lake were returned to the protection of the Forest Service as part of the White River National Forest.  It has been an increasingly popular tourist destination since.  In 2011, the lake was named a National Natural Landmark by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.  – wikipedia

Glenwood Canyon Views

Hanging Lake is one of my favorite places I have had the privilege to visit in Colorado.  The walk up Glenwood Canyon to the trailhead via the bike/pedestrian trail alone is absolutely gorgeous in the morning light.

Dead Horse Gulch

At the trailhead, the landscape gets a wee bit steeper.   There are seven bridges across Dead Horse Creek as you meander your way up the 1.6 mile extremely rocky path.  There are several small riffles and waterfalls along the way to appreciate as you rest along your ascent.

Hanging Lake

At the top, the reward is magnificent views of Dead Horse Gulch and Hanging Lake.

The fragile shoreline of Hanging Lake is composed of travertine, this occurs when dissolved limestone from the Mississippian Period Leadville Formation (through which Dead Horse Creek flows) deposits on rocks and logs, creating travertine layers.

Hanging Lake is on a fault line; formed when roughly an acre and a half of the valley floor sheared off from the fault and dropped to what is now the shallow bed of the lake. The turquoise color of the lake is due to carbonate minerals that have dissolved in the water. – wikipedia

This natural wonder has closed multiple times due to vandalism.  I cannot fathom why anyone would want to deface such natural beauty.

Spouting Rock

After viewing the natural beauty of Hanging Lake; on your way back, be sure to take the trail in the other direction and check out a waterfall spouting directly from the face of a cliff.  The shallow cave beneath the water fall was created by erosion form the back-splash of the waterfall.  The area surrounding the runoff from the waterfall is aid to have a magical/mystical charm.

 

Be sure to be extra careful on your way back down the trail.  Rock can be loose and slippery.

EXTRA